Ochoco State Scenic Viewpoint
Managed by Oregon Parks and Recreation Department
265 acres3 mi of trail
The Grade Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Photo: SounderBruce · CC BY-SA 4.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Prineville
Prineville has 29 miles of mapped trails, 2.3 for every square mile of land
589 acres are parks and preserves, 51 per 1,000 residents. 11% of Prineville’s land is conserved, about 930 acres. The biggest trail networks: Ochoco State Scenic Viewpoint (3 mi), Crook County High School Outdoor Sports Complex (1.3 mi), Crooked River Park (0.8 mi).
Ahead of 95% of U.S. towns · #10 of 142 in Oregon. What drives it
Conserved land
11%
930 acres · of 12.8 sq mi of land
Trails
29 mi
2.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
589 ac
51 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
89%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
13 mi
0.8 mi lanes · 13 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
What kind of outdoors town is Prineville?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Prineville have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Prineville is ahead of 95% of U.S. towns, #10 of 142 in Oregon. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Prineville’s overall grade.
Conserved land11% of the land · typical OR town 4% · U.S. 4%A−Trails2.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (29 mi) · OR 0.8 · U.S. 0.4APark land51 acres of park per 1,000 residents (589 acres) · OR 7 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home89% of residents within a half mile of a park · OR 96% · U.S. 72%B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 95%
LessMore
Oregon towns of 2,500+ (142)Ahead of 94%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A to A+. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Ochoco State Scenic Viewpoint, with 3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Crook County High School Outdoor Sports Complex
Park
17 acres1.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 16 parks & preserves
Ochoco State Scenic Viewpoint265 acres · 3 mi of trail · Oregon Parks and Recreation Department
DirectionsCrook County High School Outdoor Sports Complex17 acres · 1.3 mi of trail
DirectionsCrooked River Park20 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
DirectionsRimrock Park27 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsOchoco Creek Park19 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsGary A Ward Park6 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsOchoco Pointe Pool Park2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Seventh-Day Adventist Church Yard7 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsHarwood Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsPrineville Bike Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsOchoco Pointe Basketball Court and Playground1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Stryker Park6 acres
DirectionsDavidson Park4 acres
DirectionsMountain View Park1 acres
DirectionsOchoco Pointe Neighborhood Park1 acres
Pioneer Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
930 conserved acres
11% of Prineville’s land. Who manages Prineville’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State Department of Land307 ac
County277 ac
Town or city255 ac
Bureau of Land Management170 ac
U.S. Forest Service7 ac
State Recreation Area · 250 acNational Public Lands · 170 acLocal Recreation Area · 156 acState Other or Unknown · 154 acState Resource Management Area · 153 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 19 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ochoco State Scenic Viewpoint State Recreation Area | Town or city | 250 | Open |
| Prineville Deschutes Field Office National Public Lands | Bureau of Land Management | 170 | Open |
| Meadow Lakes Golf Course Local Recreation Area | County | 156 | Open |
| Industrial, Commercial, Residential State Other or Unknown | State Department of Land | 154 | Unknown |
| Industrial/Commercial/Residential State Resource Management Area | State Department of Land | 153 | Open |
| Crook County Fairgrounds Local Park | County | 53 | Open |
| Crooked River Park Local Park | County | 24 | Open |
| Ochoco Creek Park Local Park | County | 16 | Open |
| Rimrock Park And Field Local Park | County | 10 | Open |
| Ochoco National Forest National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 7 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
17 places to go in Prineville
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Prineville
Ochoco Pointe Swimming PoolIn Ochoco Pointe Pool Park
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Prineville
Castle ParkIn Ochoco Creek Park
DirectionsHarwood PlaygroundIn Harwood Park
DirectionsHarwood PlaygroundIn Harwood Park
DirectionsKiwanis Play AreaIn Crooked River Park
DirectionsOchoco Pointe PlaygroundIn Ochoco Pointe Basketball Court and Playground
DirectionsPioneer PlaygroundIn Pioneer Park
DirectionsPlus 3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Prineville
Crooked River Dog ParkIn Crooked River Park
DirectionsPrineville RV Park Dog Pen/Park
DirectionsScenic views in Prineville
Ochoco viewpointIn Ochoco State Scenic Viewpoint
DirectionsUpper Trail SummitIn Ochoco State Scenic Viewpoint
DirectionsPeaks in Prineville
'Bee Hill' Summit
DirectionsBarnes Butte
DirectionsCrooked River Grassy HillIn Crooked River Park
DirectionsTrails & water
23 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 12.1 mi
Calumet1.6 mi
South Butte1.0 mi
Canal0.9 mi
Baby Burma0.9 mi
Roblem Child0.8 mi
Brent's0.7 mi
The Meadow0.7 mi
The Grade Trail0.5 mi
Jockey0.5 mi
Lower Minamata0.5 mi
13 more trails
South Ridge
0.5 miEast Traverse
0.4 miMini Moab
0.3 miSonnieJohns
0.3 miSouth Central
0.3 miMoab-Ridge Connector
0.2 miButte to Butte
0.2 miMiddle Butte Bypass
0.2 miButte to Butte Tech
0.1 miJackrabbit
0.1 miSummit
0.1 miSarah's
0.1 miRoblem's Problem
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
13 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.8 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
13 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
11Baseball
10Soccer
6Tennis
6Pickleball
5Basketball
3Volleyball
1Beach volleyball
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →5 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 8 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Old First National Bank of Prineville, and Foster and Hyde StoreBuilding · listed 1985
About itLamonta Compound-Prineville Supervisor's WarehouseBuilding · listed 1986
About itThomas M. Baldwin HouseBuilding · listed 1987
About itMarion Reed Elliott HouseBuilding · listed 1989
About itCrook County Bank BuildingBuilding · listed 1991
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Prineville: April to June and September
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.2 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.8 | 15.5 | 15.2 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 43 | 47 | 54 | 60 | 69 | 77 | 87 | 86 | 78 | 64 | 51 | 42 |
| Rain (in) | 1.2 | 1.0 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 1.3 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.9 | 1.2 | 1.5 |
July is the driest month (0.4 in) and the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 1.5 inches fall in December, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Prineville →
Next door
Prineville and its neighbors
Prineville has the second most mapped trails of the 2 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prineville | 11% | 2.3 | 51 | 89% | A |
| Juniper Canyon | 37% | 0.9 | 184 | 1% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Prineville
Where can I hike in Prineville?
The longest trail networks: Ochoco State Scenic Viewpoint, 3 miles; Crook County High School Outdoor Sports Complex, 1.3 miles; Crooked River Park, 0.8 miles; Rimrock Park, 0.7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Prineville is conserved land?
11% of its land, against a typical 4% for an Oregon town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Prineville’s trails?
Ochoco State Scenic Viewpoint and Crook County High School Outdoor Sports Complex don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Prineville?
13 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.8 of painted or protected lanes and 13 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Prineville?
60,538 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Prineville or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 913 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Prineville have?
Ahead of 95% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #10 of 142 in Oregon. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Prineville neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →